Remote and Real Time Laboratories Network for Engineering Education
Abstract:
Tecnológico de Monterrey as part of Global University Leaders Forum has been developing a strategic project that focus on the application of ICT technologies to implement engineering labs for remote, low cost and mass learning and training. This project is proper for developing countries where the lack of equipment in laboratories used in universities and training centers is one of the main features to prevent the development of professionals to use the last generation technology. The main reason of this lack is the high cost of the equipment. With the integration of telecommunication technologies and computer science with virtual instrumentation, real, remote laboratories can be developed and accessed through Internet in real time, ensuring a richer collaborative experience for the student while avoiding some of the growing limitations of traditional laboratories, such as the lack of enough work area, expensive instrumentation, lack of personnel, time assigned to a laboratory, and their availability in non-working office hours. Under this context, this initiative aims to create new technological platforms for engineering education that fill aspects like the low cost and distributed use of these facilities to include significant quantities of students deal with this kind of instruction.